Mail-carrying apparatus.



LB ROY W. WESTGOTT. MAIL CARRYING. APPARATUS. v APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 190B. 7 924,206, Patented June 8, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES a 36w I INVENTOR A z'tarney v LE ROY-W. WESTGO TT. MAIL. GARRYING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION I'ILEI) MAY 10, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

2 J Q m FIG. 5,-

v. Ill-Ill WIT/V3555 M LE BOY W. WESTGOTT. MAIL CARRYING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 18, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 WITNESSES IINVIE'NTOR rm: mama Pz'rzns ca, WASHINGTON, n 0.

LE ROY W. WESTOOTT. MAIL CARRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1908.

Patefited June 8, 1909.

- 4 SHEETS-$11113 4.

LE ROY W. WESTCOTI, OF HARTFORD, MICHIGAN.

MAIL-GARRYING APPARATUS.

Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed May 18, 1908. Serial No. 433,579.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LE RoY W. WEsTcoT'r, citizen of the United States, residing'at Hartford, in the county of Van Buren and State of Michigan, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Carrying Apparatuses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail carrying apparatuses, and more particularly to an apparatus for distributing mail through the city and rural districts.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which will correctly distribute mail from a post-ofiice or central station to a plurality of outlying stations.

Another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which will not only distribute the mail at each of the outlying station s, but will collect mail therefrom intended for the central station.

Another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus comprising moving carriers and stationary receivers constructed to protect the mail dropped therein.

Another object of my invention is to provide an a paratus embodying moving carriers toget ier with means whereby one carrier may deliver its mail to all of the outlying stations whose mail it will hold, and a second carrier may be sent in such condition as to be inoperative in the droppingof mail until it reaches the outlying station where the first carrier stopped delivering.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus embodying moving carriers together with means whereby the same will pass any and all stations, for which there is no mail, without dropping any.

Still further objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the course of the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the several figures, and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the receiving posts, mounted at each of the outlying stations, showing its receiver lowered from the operative position, and its storm shield removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through one end of the receiver hood, illustrating the receiving post, and receiver in side elevation and in operative relation and showing a carrier tive view of the carrier in its operative position showing one of its drop bottoms held in the outer position. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the carrier and showing a portion of the receiver to illustrate the means for raising the false bottoms to the outer position. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the carrier and a portion of the receiver to further illustrate the means shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the interior of one corner of the carrier, supporting the drop bottom actuating mechanism, on an enlarged scale and broken away. Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of the latch lever, removed. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the latch spring and its tension device, removed. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the carrier, broken away, and illustrating the connection thereof with the traction cable, and the means employed at the central station for disrupting such con nection. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the carrier looking into the bottom thereof, and broken away. Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the false bottoms, shown in position in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one corner of the carrier, looking from the out side thereof, and on an enlarged scale. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the receivers, showing the same in the operative position within its storm shield. Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail perspective view of a portion of the receiver, illustrating one of its mail holding arms. Fig. 15 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the guide wire clamping portion of one of the traction cable spacers. Fig. 16 is a plan view of a right angle turn in the guide wire and traction cable, and Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the right angle turn of the guide wire, looking from the inside thereof.

In the broad theoretical embodiment of my invention, I provide a mail carrying mechanism operated from a post-office or central station, and traversing a guide wire extending through the outlying stations upon the route in accordance with the objects of my invention heretofore enumerated.

In the structural embodiment of my invention, I provide each of the outlying stations with a supporting post 1, shown in Figs. 1 and 13, for its receiving mechanism,

passing therethrough. Fig. 3 1s a perspecl to be hereinafter described. Each of the outlying station posts 1, is provided with an outstanding bracket 2, having conventional clamps 3 at the end thereof to support and hold the guide wire 4. The posts 1, each have also small outstanding brackets 5, be tween which and its post are journaled concave rollers 6, over which the traction cable 7, is trained, said traction cable being endless and operated from the central station to travel out one road, across another road, and back to the central station along a third road, the circuit thus made constituting a route. The bracket 5, upstands beyond its pulley 6, to prevent the accidental displacement of its traction cable 7. The guide wire 4, and the traction cable 7, are contra-distinguished from one another by the movable feature of the latter, as just described, and by the fact that the said guide wire 4, is immovably held by the clamps 3, of the supporting post brackets 2, and is designed to support the carrier 8, in its movement under the actuation of the traction cable 7.

In order to clamp the traction cable 7 to be moved thereby, the carrier 8 is provided with the means shown in Fig. 9 and com prising a downwardly extending bracket 9, secured to the top thereof, and having an upper open extension 10 above said carrier top, to provide for clearing the sides of the receiver 11 in the passage of said carrier therethrough. The bracket 9 is also provided with an upwardly bent lower end 12, spaced upon the outside thereof, and between which and said bracket, the traction cable 7 is held, by means of a swinging arm 13 pivoted to said bracket and adapted to bear tightly upon said cable. Shown also in Fig. 9 is a detached arm 14, adapted to be secured at the central station to disrupt the above described connection between the carrier 8 and the traction cable 7, said arm 14 being mounted in a horizontal position to allow the upper edge of the bent bracket end 12, to pass thereunder and being provided with a downwardly flanged end 15, having an upper, beveled surface to engage the swinging arm 13 and force said arm from engagement with said traction cable 7.

In order to prevent the traction cable 7 and the guide wire 4, from swinging together, I provide the means shown in Figs. 1 and 15 and comprising a spacing bracket 16, having upwardly and downwardly bent ends, said upwardly bent end being provided with a semi-circularly curved extremity 17, and with a spring member 18, secured to the base thereof and provided with an extremity 1S", semi-circularly curved opposite to, and opposing the curved extremity 17, of said bracket end. A set screw 19 serves to clamp said extremities about the guide wire 4, as shown in Fig. 1. The downwardly bent end of the bracket 16 is provided with an inand providing spacefor a concave roller 21, loosely journ aled between the same and said bracket end, said extremity 20 extending u pwardly beyond the said roller to prevent accidental displacement thereof. It will be borne in mind that the said bracket 16 is not designed to support the traction cable 7, but merely to space the same from the guide wire 4.

At the right angle turns in the circuitous route of the carrier 8, I mount a sup )orting post 22, shown in Fig. 16, upon which is rotatively held a concave roller 23, around which the traction cable 7 is trained. in order to provide some elastiizity in the curve of the guide wire 4, I provide the ends thereof adjacent the curve, with oilset upward angular extensions 24, and I connect said ends of said guide wire by a curved shoe 25 having flattened extremities loosely engaging about said wire ends adjacent said offset extensions. The post 22 supporting roller 23, is provided with an angular outstai'iding arm 26, having a bracket 26 secured thereto and provided with apertured portions 27 at right angles to one another, and to one of which the shoe 25 is connected by an arm 28 oil'set from said shoe below the upper surface thereof. The upperportion of the angular extensions 24 cross one another and project through the apertured portions 27, the ends of said extension portions beyond said apertured portions being provided with hearing plates 29, secured thereon by nuts 30, and with coil springs 31 surrounding the same between said bearing plates and said apertured portions 27, whereby any strain upon the ends of the guide wire 4 adjacent the curve will be taken up by the springs 31.

The direction of travel of the traction cable 7, and the carrier 8, is indicated by arrows in the several figures in which these elements appear, and the forward and rear ends of the carrier 8, and the receiving mechanism will be designated accordingly.

The receiving mechanism mounted at each of the outlying stations comprises the aforementioned supporting post 1, and receiver 1 l together with the receiver storm shield 32,

comprising a rectangular open-ended and open-bottom casing secured upon one side of the post 1 with the bracket 2, and roller 6, projecting therein, and the guide wire 4, and traction cable 7 extending thcrethrmlgh. Below the shield 32, the post 1 is provided with a rectangular frame comprising upper and lower horizontal arms 33, extending out wardly therefrom parallel with and below the wire 4 and cable 7, and connected between the ends and adjacent the supporting post 1,

by vertical rods 34 upon which the receiver 11 is mounted to slide by means of an oper ating rope 35, trained over a roller 36 journaled in the end of the upper arm 33 and conwardly bent extremity 2O spaced therefrom 1 nected at one end to the said receiver, the

lllll lll?) lower end being adapted to be grasped by the operator in raising said receiver upwardly within the shield 32 or fowering the same to the lower arm 33 adjacent the ground level in order that mail deposited therein may be removed and other mail placed therein to be collected by the carrler. The receiver 11, comprises sides 37, a rearwardly, upwardly inclined rear end 38, a forward vertical end 39, and a horizontal bottom 40, and is open at its top, while the carrier 8 comprises a top 41, sides 42 and forward and rear ends 43 and 44 respectively, and is open at its bottom. When the receiver 11 is raised, by means of the operating ro e 35, to project the same within the storm s ield 32, the upper open end of the same is thus protecte ysald shield 32, as is the mailtherein, and the sides 37 of said receiver extend within the sides of said shield in such position that the carrier 8 when passing through said shield, must pass between said sides of said receiver. The to 41 of the carrier 8 is longitudinally slitte at its forward portion, parallel with its sides 42, and the resultant free section of material is bent upwardly to form a mail collecting tongue 45, supported in position, as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 5, by an angle bar 46 secured centrally, longitudinally of the said top 41 and extending rearwardly of said carrier. Secured also upon the top 41 of the carrier 8, are forward and rear upstanding brackets 47, having spaced downturned extremities 48, between which and said brackets are rotatively journaled concave rollers 49 for engagement upon the guide wire 4, said extremities 48 extending below said rollers for a short distance to prevent the displacement of said wire, while allowing sufficient space between their ends of the said top 41 to clear the supporting spacing brackets 2 and 16 respectively and the extremities 24 of the wire 4 and the arm 28 supporting shoe 25, in rounding a curve.

The upper edges of the sides 37 of the receiver 11, are provided with forward and rear alined pairs of letter supporting arms 50 and 51 respectively, each of which are pivotally connected at one end to said sides 37 and extend inwardly and transversely of said receiver. The rear arms 51 comprise straight bars, while the forward arms 50 comprise spring fingers 52, between which articles may be placed and held, as shown in Fig. 14. The arms 50 and 51 are held in their described relation by spring members 53 secured to the sides 37, and projecting through said arms, said rear arms 51 being adapted to assist said forward'arms 51 in supporting long heavy mail. The forward arms 50 have their spring fingers 52 provided with (appositely projecting studs 54, by which sai ngers may be readily spread apart for the insertion of the mail therebetween. The carrier 8 has its inclined tongue 45 further supported by bolts 55 adjacent each side thereof at its forward portion and extending from the carrier sides 42, said bolts 55 being adapted to strike the mail holding arms 51 and 50 of the receiver, in the order named, as the said carrier passes therethrough. The arms 51 and 50 will thus be rotated upon their end pivots after the mail held thereby is beneath the tongue 45 and within the receiver 8, and the mail will thus be forced to drop within the said receiver.

The rear end 44 of the carrier is terminated above the lower edge of the sides 42 thereof, and is surrounded by U-shaped rods 56, having one of their ends secured within said carrier, as shown in Fig. 5 and their other end free and outside thereof. The carrier is thus adapted to receive a plurality of drop bottoms 57 comprising skeleton fiat frames having integral bars 58 connecting the sidesand ends thereof, and having apertured portions at one end adapted to slidably receive the U-shaped rods 56 therethrough. The drop bottoms 57 are placed upon the said rods 56 at their free outer ends and are then capable of sliding downwardly and swinging inwardly and upwardly within the carrier 8, as shown in Fig. 5. Mounted upon the inner surface of the sides 42 of the said carrier, approximately centrally of the ends thereof, are spaced vertically extending for ward and rear guide bars 59 and 60 respectively. The forward bars 59 are provlded with angularly bent lower ends forming a seat 61. Between said bars 59 and 60 are mounted short central guide bars 62, the lower ends of which terminate a shortdistance above the seat 61, in order that a lever resting on said seat may be projected be neath said bars 62 toward said bar 60 and allowed to drop. The drop bottoms 57 are provided with transversely disposed pivotally connected levers 63 and 64 having outwardly projecting ends65, the lever 63 of which is intermediately pivoted at 66 upon one of the integral bars 58 of the drop bottoms in such manner that a projection in its path, striking its projecting end 65, will rock the same and cause inward movement of said end toward said drop bottom, simultaneously drawing the projecting end 65 of lever 64 inwardly by virtue of the aforementioned pivotal connection, all of which will be readily apparent by reference to Figs. 3 and 6.

.When within the carrier 8, the projecting ends 65 of the drop bottom levers 63 and 64 are adapted for placement Within the channel between the central and forward guide bars 62 and 59, the said levers of the lowermost drop bottom, of course, resting upon the seat 61. It will be understood that the inner surfaces of both of the sides 42 of the carrier are similarly provided with guide bars 59, 60, and 63. Each of the drop bottoms 57 are also provided with outstanding side projections 67 spaced parallel from the lever ends 65 to engage in the rear of the rearmost guide'bar and prevent the drop bottom 57 shaking in transit. From one of the projections 67, a spring 68 extends and is connected to the end of lever 64 to press 5 the same outwardly and likewise rock lever 63 outwardly. Mounted upon the internal surface of one of the carrier sides 42, in horizontal alinement with the seat 61, is a latch 69 slidable longitudinally, in guide brackets 70, toward said seat 61, and provided wi h an offset nose 71 adapted to strike the end 65 of the drop bottom release lever 63, rocking the same rearwardly and inwardly which movement causes simultaneous inward movement of lever 64 and allows the bottom to drop out. The latch 69 is provided with a pin 72 projecting toward the carrier side 42, and within an angular curved slot 73 of an actuating lever 73 pivoted to said side 42, to oscillate and depending therebelow, to be struck and operated by a portion of the receiving apparatus to be hereinafter described.

The rear end of the latch 69 has connected to it, a spring arm 74, extending vertically upwardly therefrom through a U-shaped bracket 75, and provided with a headed. flattened end 76 secured between parallel projections 77 of a stationary plate 78 secured to the carrier side 42. The bracket supports a means to vary the tension of the spring arm 74 in drawing the latch 69 forwardly, and to this end, is provided with a threaded shaft 79 swiveled through the extensions thereof and provided with a knurled head 80 for rotating the same. A movable block 81 is threaded for engagement upon the shaft 79 and is prevented from rotation by an eye-bolt 82, secured therethrough and having its eye surrounding the spring arm 74. Thus, when the shaft 79 is rotated, the block is forced to move, according to the direction of such rotation, to adjust the tension of said spring, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 8. In order to prevent the shaft 79 from accidentally turning, I provide a nut 79 screwed thereon against the brackets 75.

The outlying station posts 1 are provided as portions of their receiving mechanism with outstanding arms 83 at right angles to, and horizontally alined with the upper arm 33 of the receiver supporting frame, said arms 83 extending through the storm shield 32 and resting upon the upper edge of the in clined rear end 38 of the receiver 11, when the latter is in its operative position to receive mail. A fragmentary portion of arm 83 is shown in Fig. 6, said arm lying in the path of the latch lever 73 to operate the same and cause one of the drop bottoms 57 to deliver its mail. The arm 83 is provided with an upwardly bent outer end 84 carrying, secured to its inner surface, a guide member 85 to engage one side of the carrier 8, as the same passes ipto the receiving apparatus, the opposite side of said carrier being engaged by a guide member 86 secured to the post 1, just above said arm 83. The upturned end 84 is also provided with an inverted U-shaped bracket 87 having one extension secured upon the outer surface thereof, and its other extension adapted to have the side of the storm shield 32 secured thereto.

The drop bottoms 57 are adapted to receive mail therebetween for the outlying stations, a drop bottom to each station, and are dropped within the receiver 11 by the aforementioned mechanism shown in Fig. 6, the depth of the said receiver being greater than the length of the said drop bottoms in order that the same may turn completely over therein and be caught and held in the outer position shown. in Fig. 3. To effect such movement the forward vertical end 39, of the receiver 11 is provided with aU-shaped rod frame 88 having its ends pivotally secured to said end adjacent the upper edge thereof, and normally extending vertically downwardly along said end under tension of a coil spring 89 provided with a straight end bearing upon an extension of said frame 88. The extensions of the frame 88 are centrally bent to provide a portion S9" thereof extending at right angles to the receiver end 39 and having integral outstanding spaced tongues 90 adapted to engage one of the transverse integral bars 58 of the drop bottom 57 when the same is dropped within the said receiver. The forward movement of the carrier 8 thus lifts the frame 88 in an upward swinging movement upon its pivots, as shown in Fig. 5, which frame carries with. it the drop bot tom 57 as also shown, and raises the same to a horizontal position to be caught and held by a pair of oppositely disposed spring latches 91 secured upon the inner surfaces of a pair of depending bars 92, adjacent their lower ends, which bars 92 are secured at their upper ends to the rear end of the top bar 46 of the carrier. Thus after each of the drop bottoms 57 are actuated to drop and deliver their mail, the same, upon the continued movement of the carrier 8 through the receiving apparatus, will be raised and held in such position as not to interfere with the sul sequent dropping of other drop bottoms 57.

As before stated the mail to be delivered. at the outlying stations is placed between the several drop bottoms 57 of the carrier 8. Thus the first station will receive the mail placed between the lowermost drop bottom 57 and the next thereabove, the second station will receive the mail between the sec.- 0nd and third drop bottoms and so on, one more drop bottom 57 being placed above the others than is needed, in order to receive the mail collected from the several outlying stations by means of the tongue 45. N ow sup- Hill .llll

pose the carrier has mail for the first outlying station upon the route, but no mail for the second, third and fourth stations. It would require an unnecessary number of drop bottoms to allow each of the second, third and fourth to actuate a drop bottom when there is no mail for them, so in order to prevent this I provide false bottoms 93 which will be actuated by the dropping mechanism as before described but which will not drop. A false bottom 93 is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 and comprises a body plate 94 having integral bent hooks 95 and'a spring hook 96 extending from opposite sides thereof and adapted for engagement with selected ones of the integral bars 58 of the drop bottoms 57.

The body plate 94 is provided with a plurality of s ring arms 97, any number of which may e employed, each having a block 98 at its outer end and adapted for placement within the channel between the guide bars 59 and 62 to be pushed out one at a time by the latch 69. Thus in the present instance, a false bottom 93 will be hooked upon the second lowest drop bottom 57 and after the lowermost drop bottom has been actuated by the first outlying station upon the route, the blocks 98 will rest upon the seat 61 at the lower end of the feed channel to be actuated one at a time at the second, third and fourth stations respectively and pushed out of said feed channel, thus leaving the levers of the second drop bottom 57, to which said false bottom is hooked, resting upon said seat 61 to be actuated at the fifth station to drop and deliver its mail.

In Figs. 10 and 11 the false bottom 93 is shown as having three spring arms 97. Supposing it is desired to pass only the second station without delivering mail, in which case two of the blocks 98 will be placed in the channel between the carrier guide bars 60 and 62 with the remaining block 98 resting upon the seat 61 at the base of the feed channel to be pushed out with the other blocks 98 at said second station. Now suppose there is so much mail to be distributed along the route that one carrier 8 will not hold it. In this case it will be desired to send out a first carrier to deliver to the first fifty stations and a second carrier following the first one which will not begin delivering until it reaches the first station beyond the one where the first carrier left off, in this instance the fifty-first station. The means provided to accomplish the foregoing are shown particularly in Figs. 1, 6 and 12 and essentially comprise an actuating block 99 mounted upon the supporting post 1 of every fifth or tenth outlying station, and at different elevations thereon between the traction cable roller 6 and the carrier guide arm 86. The other portion of such means is carried by the carrier 8 which is provided with vertical slots 100 and 101 in one side 42 thereof and its forward end 43 respectively, adjacent the corner in which is located the latch 69, and therefore at right angles to one another within the slot 101 is mounted a vertical slidable U-shaped frame 102 having one angular end secured to a plate 103 spanning said slat upon the internal surface of said end 43 and working in a vertical guide member 104.

The other end of the frame 102, spans the toothed vertical edge 105 of a plate 106, secured to the carrier side 42, and is adapted to be locked in its vertical adjustment upon said plate by means of a spring curved finger 107, secured to said frame 102 and extending against said toothed edge 105.

Mounted upon the internal surface of the carrier side 42 to span its vertical slot 100, is an arm 108 secured at its upper end to said side 42 by a spring piece 108*, above said slot and provided with a forwardly offset angular extension 109 at its lower end. The arm 108 is also provided with a stop lug 110 extending forwardly thereof from the carrier side 42, to prevent forward movement of said arm. Thus in the present case, when the carrier 8 is started from the central station, the latch 69 is pushed rearwardly and locked by engaging the offset extension 109 thereof, over the latch spring 74, to prevent the same springing forwardly. Thus, the carrier latch mechanism will be locked against actuation in its passage by the several outlying stations until the arm 108 is pressed inwardly to release the latch spring 74. This is accomplished by means of an arm 111 operating externally of the carrier and which has one end secured to the frame 102 and is provided with an angular end 112 extending through the carrier side slot 100, into engagement with the arm 108. The frame 102, is then adjusted vertically upon the toothed plate 106 to the horizontal level of the actuating plate 99 of the fiftieth station post 1, which will strike the same post and release the carrier latch 69 to be operated at the fifty-first station as desired.

In order that the carrier 8 may pass through the storm shield 32, to deliver the mail into the receiver 11, and still permit said shield to protect said mail after the passage of said carrier, I provide the open ends of said storm shield with hinged doors 113 to swing inwardly and outwardly at the rear and forward ends respectively, and provided with spring hinges 114, to maintain the same in position transversely of the shield, a stop 115 preventing the movement of the doors beyond such position.

From the foregoing description, the construction and operation of my invention, it is thought, will be fully understood, and inasmuch as it will also be apparent that various changes in the construction thereof may be made, without departing from the spirit i thereof, I desire to reserve such changes as fall within the terms of the following claims.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central station and outlying stations, a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and having means to support mail therein, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations to receive the mail, means within said receiver mechanisms to actuate said carrier mechanism and cause the same to drop mail therein, and means within said carrier mechanism adapted to prevent the actuation of the same to drop mail therefrom at predetermined ones of said outlying stations, substantially as described,

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central station and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and having means to support mail therein, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations to receive the mail, means within said receiver mechanisms to actuate said carrier mechanism and cause the same to drop mail therein, means also within said receiver mechanisms to protect the mail dropped therein, and means within said carrier mechanism to prevent the actuation thereof at predetermined ones of said receiver mechanisms, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central station and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and having means to support mail therein, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations and embodying means to actuate said carrier mechanism and cause the same to drop mail therein, and means within said carrier mechanism to prevent the actuation thereof at successive ones of said outlying stations, starting from said central station, substantially as described.

a. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central station, and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and having means comprising a plurality of independently operable drop bottoms held therein in superposed relation to support mail therein, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations to receive the mail, means to actuate said drop bottoms of said carrier mechanisms to cause the same to drop mail within said receiver mechanisms, and means to prevent the actuation of the said drop bottoms at predetermined ones of said outlying stations, substantially as described.

.5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a eentlnl station, and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and having means to support mail therein, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations, means to actuate said carrier mechanism. and cause the same to drop mail therein, and means to lock said actuating means to prevent the actuation thereof at successive ones of said outlying stations, starting l'romsaid central station releasable at the outlying station preceding the one to which mail is to be delivered, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a central station and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism embodying a carrier to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, having a plurality of swinging drop-bottoms adapted to support mail therebetween, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations, and embodying means to trip one of said drop-bottoms to swing outwardly from said carrier and deliver its mail, and means outside of said carrier for supporting its trip-bottom in position to allow 01' the free actuation of the drop-bottom therein at the succeeding outlying station, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination with a central station and outlying stations, of a carrier mechanism to traverse said outlying stations from said central station, and embodying a plurality ol' drop-bottoms adapted to support mail therebetwecn, receiver mechanisms mounted at said outlying stations, to receive the mail, and embodying means to trip said drop-bottoms to cause the same to deliver the mail, and non-1nail-carrying false bottom for insertion within said carrier mechanism to be actuated at the outlying stations for which no mail is carried, substantially as described 8. In an apparatus 01' the character described, a rectangular carrier embodying sides and ends, and a top having an integral section struck up therefrom to form a mail collecting tongue, and a plurality of drop bottoms held in superposed relation between said sides and ends, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a carrier open at its base, a plurality of downwardly swinging drop bottoms held within said carrier, in superposed relation, having pivotal connection at one end thereof in their downwardly swinging movement, and a frame projecting from one end of said carrier to receive and hold said drop bottoms after such movement thereol, substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus of the character de- Ill) scribed, a receiving mechanism comprising a I into, and downwardly from, said shield, subsupporting post, a frame carried thereby emstantially as described. 10 bodying vertical rods, a shield secured upon In testimony whereof I affix my signature said post above said frame, having an open in presence of two witnesses.

5 bottom, and a casingforming areceiver, com- LE ROY W. WESTCOTT.

prising sides, and an inclined bottom, and Witnesses: vertically adjustably mounted upon said GEO.S.LIVINGSTON,

post frame rods, for movement upwardly O. L. PARKER. 

